me

An important part of my life has been absent for far too long: Frito bars.

Michelle made them often for our RA meetings. We consumed them by the pound. They are the perfect girl bonding food -- frito, chocolate, peanut butter, sugar. They make me feel all warm inside just thinking about them. Last night I realized I had Fritos, chocolate chips and peanut butter in my house -- everything necessary.

Another thing I was missing today: Iowa. Tied to the previous? I did get a letter from a roommate today, too...

While this place is not urban, per se, it is urban, relatively. I miss driving past the corn to get anywhere. I miss driving that does not involve stoplights. I miss knowing when to plug your nose relative to the passing of a pig truck. I miss my good red pen from the Beacon, and Pizza Ranch, and nice Hy-Vees (Minnesota Hy-Vees are kind of ghetto), and driving, and making fun of other newspapers, and the Loess Hills, and the high-quality Chinese food of small Dutch towns, and Tropical Sno, and my roommate's stepstool, and the Puddlejumper, and the Tolsmas' swiffers, and criticizing JVDW's freshman poli sci students' essays, wrapping Beacons in garbage bags to avoid rain, and very much roommate story time.

(Do I want to move back to Iowa, though? No. No, this is the right place.)

I felt a strong need to read aloud today. It has not yet been fulfilled.

Tonight I re-watched "Cold Mountain." Nicole Kidman is so eerily lovely. They make me want to quilt and make pot roast. Ooh, boiled potatoes sound kind of good right now. Boiled baby potatoes with butter.